Ex-Balthazar Chef Riad Nasr Plans ‘Little Break’ From Cooking

In April, longtime co-executive chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr surprised quite a few people when they announced they were leaving Keith McNally’s restaurant group after two decades. Last week, it was rumored that the chefs were considering the old Capsouto Frères space in Tribeca for their first post-McNally project. Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke went to Nasr — the pair met at Les Halles long ago — who told him there are no new restaurant projects in the works right now and that he plans to “take a break” after twenty years behind the line at restaurants like Balthazar, Pastis, and Minetta Tavern. [NYFoodee, Earlier, Earlier]